September
by Seerysly
Summary: Every month brought more confusion, but with it more clarity. Everything was paralleled for Fred Weasley, but it never felt better. Fred/Luna
1. Chapter 1

**Title: September**

**Author: SeerySly**

September

September was the month of halves.

The train clattered down the tracks, traveling far out of reach of the Muggle world. Every compartment in the long, scarlet train was filled to bursting with students heading towards another year at their wizarding school, Hogwarts. In one compartment sat two red haired twins and their dread-locked friend. The three had their heads bent together in deep conversation.

"No, shut up Fred, that's a horrible idea," one of the redheaded brothers muttered furiously to the other. Fred punched his brother softly on the shoulder.

"Well you come up with something better then!" he replied. Their friend waved his hands in front of their faces.

"Would you both shut up? It's simple, don't you see? We smuggle them in as regular sweets, no one will know the difference!" he said, smiling widely. The other twin rolled his eyes.

"They'll confiscate them, Lee. They'll find them in our trunks," he sighed. "We should have just left them at home."

"They're not going to be checking trunks when they've no reason to be!" Lee pointed out. The three were silent for a moment.

"We could keep them in our pockets?" Fred asked. George shook his head.

"Bad idea."

"How about the pockets of our spare robes?" Lee asked.

"No good."

"Well what do you suppose we do, then?" he asked.

"Put them in your socks," an airy voice said from behind them. The three boys spun around, staring straight at a small, blonde girl dressed in a pink sweater. She had two red radishes hanging from her ears.

"Excuse me?" Fred asked incredulously, as if he hadn't heard her correctly.

"You're talking about your candies, the ones that make you sick right? If you're trying to sneak them in, you should put them in your socks," she said dreamily, plopping herself down on the seat farthest from them and pulling out a magazine.

"Why our socks?" Lee wondered, staring at the girl, looking confused.

"Well, would you want to go searching through someone's socks?" she replied, flipping her magazine upside down. He shook his head. "Neither does Filch," she said, giving the three a half smile. The boys looked at each other. Slowly, George got to his feet. He rummaged around in his ratty, burgundy trunk and pulled out a handful of what looked like normal candy. He looked at the other two, who both shrugged, before stuffing them into a faded black sock that was hanging precariously from the mouth of the trunk. He latched the trunk again and sat down. The cabin was silent except for the rustling of the magazine pages.

Outside, the sun was starting to fall beneath the horizon line. The train continued to rattle along the tracks, rocking the compartment slowly back and forth. Soft snores came from the seat closest to the door. The blonde girl had fallen asleep, her head against the back of the seat, her hands limp over her folded magazine. She mumbled something in her sleep and attempted to roll over, but, with no room to do so, burrowed the side of her head against her shoulder. Fred watched her carefully, intrigued. The girl was odd, no doubt, but he felt like he knew her. Across from him, Lee and George were taking turns tasting Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. George made a face as he chewed a neon yellow bean. Fred snorted at his brother's face, and glanced back at the sleeping girl. Her name was escaping him for some reason, but she was so familiar.

"Luna Lovegood," he said suddenly. The other two looked up at him curiously.

"What about her?" George asked, tossing a dark green bean to Lee. Fred shook his head, smiling.

"I thought I recognized her," he replied, indicating the sleeping girl.

"Yeah, they live right down the road," George said. He pushed the bean toward Lee, who had refused the first time.

"I couldn't remember where I knew her from," Fred muttered, kicking his legs up on the seat next to him. "Wonder why she's in here," he added, looking back at Luna. Her pale face was bent into a delicate frown. She mumbled again moved her head to her other shoulder.

"Heard she hasn't got any friends," Lee said, sniffing at the bean in his hand. He licked the end cautiously before taking a hesitant bite. Then, deciding he liked it, stuffed the rest in his mouth. Fred pushed his hair away from his face, watching the girl intently. It was sad, really, that she sat where there was an empty seat, not where there were friends. He folded his arms across his chest.

"Yeah, that's what I heard too. Heard she just kinda…wanders, you know?" George added. He bravely stuck a cloudy gray bean in his mouth and began chewing. Fred shrugged.

"Toss me a strawberry one," he said, pointing to a pink bean.

"Get it yourself," his twin shot at him.

"Just throw it, Georgey," he mocked. George picked up the bean and threw it at his brother. It hit Fred squarely between the eyes.

"There's your dumb bean," George said irritably.

"Thank you."

Fred popped the bean in his mouth and crushed it between his teeth. The taste of strawberries filled his mouth. He closed his eyes. It was sad that Luna had to sit by herself. He couldn't understand how she felt, always alone, but then again, she always seemed rather cheery despite it. He felt her adjust her position at his feet. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into bright, silvery-blue eyes. Luna blinked slowly and yawned. Then, as if remembering she was tired, closed her eyes again. She nestled down into her sweater and sniffed. Fred glanced at George and Lee. They had become bored with their game, and Lee was staring blankly at the window at the dark countryside while George sat back against his seat, one hand covering his eyes.

At his feet, Luna shivered slightly, completely asleep again. What would the other two think if…?

He knew George wouldn't say anything, wouldn't even care really, but Lee? But Lee, too, was falling asleep. Carefully, Fred placed his feet on the floor and stood. He reached slowly up to his battered trunk and pulled out his school robes. Then, moving as quietly as he could manage, he moved in front of Luna. Careful not to wake her, he draped the robe gently on top of her, tucking it softly around the front of her shoulders. She stirred just enough to grab the edge of the robe with a small hand before burrowing her face in the fabric and slipping back into a deeper sleep.

Fred sat down again and stared out the window. He felt his face break into a half smile.

A crowd of black-robed students pushed and shoved their way through the huge double doors, making their way into the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony and the feast. Fred remained close to his brother as he allowed himself to be jostled by nearby students. He managed to cross the threshold of the huge hall, and together, the twins made their way to the table on the far right of the hall. The took their seats near the back of the hall, a place where they could easily _not_ pay attention. Fred watched the other students enter the hall, talking and laughing and jeering. Soon, the tables were filled with the last few stragglers entering the hall. Fred looked down at the grains in the table. His eyes felt heavy and his stomach was growling. He wished they could skip the sorting ceremony and get to the food.

"She's got your cloak still," George whispered to him, nodding towards the doors. Fred glanced up and saw Luna carrying his robe, the hem dragging along the floor. She wore the same half smile on her face as she crossed the hall towards him. He felt his mouth go dry. What would people say if they knew he'd given Luna his cloak to keep warm? That was something people did when they liked each other, not when they were barely acquaintances. He tried not to watch her as she approached him, but his gaze kept flickering back to her. "Fred," she said airily to him, and he was taken aback at how she could tell him and his twin apart. He glanced up at her, trying not to look at her too long. She set his cloak on the table next to him.

"You left this on the train," she said. Fred could feel his pounding heart ease up a little. She hadn't said thank you, hadn't said anything to indicate that he had done something that was common among a boyfriend and a girlfriend. She gave him the same smile she had on the train, then turned and walked away. He sighed.

"Fred and Luna, sittin' in a tree," George chuckled under his breath. Fred shoved him jokingly.

"Shut up," he muttered back. Suddenly, the great double doors opened and Professor McGonagall entered the hall briskly, followed by stumbling, nervous first years.

"Finally!" Ron groaned from down the table.

"Is ickle Ronniekins hungry?" George mocked, leaning towards his youngest brother. Fred felt himself relaxing. Now that his personal nightmare with Loony Lovegood was over, he could return to what he did best: being one half of the Weasley twins.

"Did mummy forget to pack you a snack?" Fred continued off of George. Ron's ears turned red and he turned to his older brothers.

"Shut up!" he shot at them, but the twins just laughed.

"Silence!" Professor McGonagall shouted from the top of the hall. Slowly, the chatter ceased and all eyes turned expectantly towards the old woman. She set the weathered, old Sorting Hat down upon the old, wooden stool and stepped back. The hat began to sing. When it was finished, the hall broke out into applause and Professor McGonagall pulled out a roll of parchment. She cleared her throat and began to read the names off the parchment. One by one, the nervous first years sat on the stool, put on the hat, and were sorted. Finally, the last name was called, and Dumbledore stood up from his seat behind the teacher's table.

"Let the feast begin!" he said happily, just as he did every year. Food appeared on the platters in front of them and people all along the tables began piling it on their plates. Fred ate happily, listening carelessly to the chatter around him.

"Fred! George!" someone called from down the table.

The twins looked to the speaker. It was Seamus Finnegan.

"What do you have for us this year?" he asked, attempting to be elusive but failing miserably at it. Fred laughed.

"A brand new batch of Puking Pastels!" he called back.

"And an exploding toilet!" George added, then said slightly softer, "You know, we never did do that. We were supposed to send Ginny the toilet seat."

Fred laughed and began to join in more conversation. As he joked and laughed with his fellow Gryffindors, something hit hit him like a sack of bricks.

The candies had made it into the school. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. He glanced across the hall towards the Ravenclaw table and his eyes met a pair of large, silvery-blue ones. Fred nodded a brief thanks in her direction before turning back to his meal.

At the Ravenclaw table, Luna wore a half smile as she piled pudding onto her plate.

**A/N: A new Fred/Luna story for y'all! I decided to move in a new direction with this one. It will be through Fred's point of view mainly, with maybe a few flits of Luna POV here and there. For the most part, I think this chapter turned out to be a little mediocre, definitely not my best writing. But I have the rest of the story planned out and I'm hoping it will be better. I'm really excited to get going on it! Sorry for the long wait, everyone, but I hope this one will be as, or even more, enjoyable as Daisy Chains!**

**Love,**

**Seerysl**


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: September**

**Author: SeerySly**

September

September is the month of halves.

The bell lurched Fred Weasley violently out of his snooze. He blinked groggily, staring around the classroom. He was sitting at the back of the class, next to his twin brother. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a wide chalkboard sat at the front of the room behind the teacher's desk, where Professor McGonagall sat scribbling on a pice of parchment with a long, white quill. Fred stood up, rubbing his eyes. Beside him, George yawned widely, stretching. Slowly, the twins gathered their belongings and stuffed them into their bags. Then, the began to shuffle towards the door. Fred pulled it open, but just as he placed his foot in the hallway, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat coldly.

"Mr. Weasley and, er, Mr. Weasley," she said sternly. Fred snickered a bit and turned to his teacher. She was standing behind her desk, holding two all-too-familiar slips of parchment.

"Again, Professor?" George asked a little wearily.

"We didn't do anything this time!" Fred added. Professor McGonagall raised one eyebrow, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Besides sleeping in my class?" she said. The twins were silent. George's face fell into an unamused expression while Fred rolled his eyes. Professor McGonagall frowned. "No, it wasn't the naps in my class, boys. It was this," she said. As she spoke, she held out an ordinary looking wand.

"It's a wand, Professor," Fred pointed out. He looked at George, who was biting his lower lip, attempting to hold back a smile.

"Well, if it's just a wand, Mr. Weasley, why don't you give it a wave?" she asked, holding it out to him. Fred took it in his hand and flicked it. Nothing happened. Professor McGonagall scowled. Fred flicked it again, a little harder. Still nothing. Professor McGonagall snatched it out of his hand.

"Must be broken, Professor," George said innocently. Without saying anything, Professor McGonagall shook her head and waved them away. Together, the twins left the classroom.

The hall was almost completely empty, aside from a few latecomers. Fred yawned widely. "What's next, Georgy?" he asked lazily, staring out the windows as they strolled down the hall.

"Potions with the Slytherins," George replied with disgust. "But you know what Fred?" he asked, peering at his twin with a wicked grin. Fred returned the expression.

"What's that George?"

"I don't really feel like going to Potions."

"I think you're right. In fact, I have a brand new fanged frisbee in the common room. I'm sure we could have some fun with it," Fred said. George chuckled. The twins began ascending the wide, marble staircase, making their way up to the seventh floor.

"Professor Flitwick, you look particularly short today," Luna Lovegood muttered dreamily to the tiny charms professor. Taken aback, Professor Flitwick remained silent for several seconds before responding.

"Er, thank you, Miss Lovegood, I think. Alright class, take your seats!" he called out. The Ravenclaw and Gryffindor students who were milling about the classroom shuffled to the desks and sat down. Luna slowly pulled out her notebook, quill, and wand. She opened the notebook and quickly reviewed what she wrote from the last lesson. "Today, we will be working on a particularly useful spell, _Scourgify_. This spell will clean any soiled surfaces that may need a bit of a wash," Professor Flitwick squeaked happily. The class remained silent.

"It also scares off Umgubular Slashkilters," Luna stated softly. The entire class chuckled, many rolling their eyes. The two Ravenclaw students on either side of Luna inched away from her. Professor Flitwick blinked and shook his head.

"Ahem, yes, that too," he amended. Then, lightening up, "Alright everyone, find a partner! One of you come up here for a handful of dust, and begin practicing. Remember, the charm is _Scourgify_. Get to work!"

Chairs scraped against the floor as students stood to meet their partners and get their supplies. Luna remained seated, her eyes downcast. However, a smile still played on her lips. Across the room, she saw Ginny Weasley talking to another third year Gryffindor. She hoped Ginny would be her partner.

"Yes, sorry. I was going to work with Luna," Luna heard the redhead say, and she smiled a little. Ginny crossed the room and sat down. She spread a handful of dust over hers and Luna's desk and patted Luna gently on the arm.

"Don't worry about it, Luna. I'm sure this spell is great for getting rid of those…those creatures," Ginny smiled. Luna smiled back, and together they began to practice their cleaning charms.

Fred and George darted in between suits of armor and the statue of an old hunchbacked man, careful to remain out of direct view of anyone who might have been coming down the hall. In their arms, they carried handfuls of Filibuster's Fireworks and dung bombs. Fred snickered wickedly as he set down a pair of fireworks. Across the corridor, George was positioning some of his own fireworks. They were just down the hall from the Library. They knew Madam Pince would be furious, but they had angered her what felt like a million times already. No, today, their target was one of their favorite professors, Professor Flitwick. They were mere feet away from the Charms classroom. Its door was shut tight, but they could still hear laughter from inside. Fred winked to his brother and went to kneel next to him behind the statue of the hunchbacked wizard.

The fireworks were only part of the plan. Once set off, the twins would drop the dung bombs around the students, who were bound to flood out of the classroom. No one would get hurt; the dung bombs wouldn't even land on anyone. But the stink would last for days. This was what the twins lived for. They had plenty of plans for their joke shop merchandise, which was lying safely in their dormitory at the top of Gryffindor tower, but today they were reenacting a prank they had pulled four years ago, during their second year at Hogwarts. With an excited _hiccup_, George lined the dung bombs up in front of him. He pulled out his wand and muttered, "_Windgardium Leviosa_", and the dung bombs floated smoothly into the air. He directed them towards the door of the Charms classroom, where they hovered menacingly. Fred grinned widely.

"Brings back memories, eh George?" Fred murmured, pulling out his own wand. "Memories from before our stunts were creative."

George's lip twitched, but he didn't reply. He was concentrating on keeping the dung bombs floating above the door. He nudged Fred's foot with his own and nodded, indicating that he was ready. "_Incedio_," Fred whispered, pointing his wand at the line of fireworks. Fire burst out of the end of Fred's wand, lighting the ends of the fireworks. Within seconds, the entire corridor was filled with loud blasts, bright sparkles, and high-pitched whistles as the fireworks bounced off the walls and ceiling. The racket was so loud that Fred plugged his ears with his fingers, laughing happily as he watched the chaos that was growing in the corridor.

As the twins had planned, the students from the Charms classroom began to pile out into the hall. They kept close to each other, staring wonderingly at the fireworks show. Some were laughing, but most looked confused. Suddenly, George released his dung bombs. The fell to the floor in front of the students and burst, enveloping the whole hall with the smell of dung. Girls shrieked and covered their noses, but most of the students were laughing. They knew, just as the twins did, that the smile would bother Professor Flitwick and Madam Pince to no end for the following days. And while most people liked Flitwick, many loathed the strict librarian.

The last of the fireworks finished popping and Professor Flitwick appeared in the hall and began ushering the students back inside the classroom, his nose wrinkled at the stench. It wasn't until most of the class had filed back into the classroom that the twins heard it. A soft sniffling.

"Miss Lovegood? Is everything quite all right?" they heard Flitwick ask. Fred froze, his heart hammering in his chest. Was that Luna sniffing? He hardly dare to look, but his gaze slowly slid across the corridor, over the carved, stone walls with their torches, to where Luna Lovegood was standing, staring at the ground. Their little sister, Ginny, stood beside her, patting her comfortingly on the arm. The blonde girl looked up at her Charms professor. Fred's stomach dropped in horror. She was covered head to toe in the contents of the dung bomb.

Fred glanced to his brother, and saw, to his relief, that George didn't look happy either. In fact, he had a guilty frown on his face, and kept shifting his gaze from Luna.

"You should get to the bathroom and clean yourself up," Fred heard Flitwick say, and turned his eyes back to Luna. "I'll have this mess cleaned up." With a final look up and down the hall, Professor Flitwick returned to the classroom.

"Luna? Are you all right?" Ginny asked gently. With effort, she leaned towards Luna, but she didn't stay long for the smell.

"Yes," Luna replied weakly. Her voice retained its usual airiness, but the usual, dreamy happiness was drained. From inside the classroom, there was a roar of laughter. No doubt, someone had told the entire class that Loony Lovegood was standing outside the classroom, covered in dung. Fred saw the Ravenclaw bite her lip and look at the floor. "It was probably just…probably just the Nargles," she mumbled to her feet. When she looked up again, she looked straight at the statue of the hunchback. "Yes, Nargles," she said, louder this time. Ginny took her by the arm and led her down the hall, in the direction of the girl's bathroom.

Fred bit his lip, watching them go. She knew it had been them.

"Well, it was just an accident," George muttered. He stood and stretched. "A job well done, I think," he added, glancing at Fred. Fred was still staring down the corridor at where Luna had disappeared with Ginny.

Accident or not, his heart felt heavy.

Those silvery-blue eyes had been swimming in tears.

**A/N: Hmmm, okay, so this story is growing on me. I have some big plans for it coming up, so keep waiting! And wow! Reviews already? Thanks so much, guys! Basically, I hope to finish the next two chapters in one sitting, but please don't cross your fingers. I have a really bad habit of getting a bit, shall we say, distracted? *cough, YouTube, cough*. Anyway, thanks for reading. I still think it's a mediocre story _.**

**Love,**

**SeerySl**


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: September**

**Author: SeerySly**

September

September is the month of halves.

_Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future._

Paul Boese

"You're an absolute _pig_, both of you!" Ginny Weasley hissed at her brothers in the Gryffindor common room. Fred and George were bent over a piece of paper with a long list of items that they were planning on creating.

"Heard it already, Your Grace," George snapped at his younger sister, waving her off. Ginny huffed, flicking her long, red hair behind her shoulder. She crossed her arms and scowled angrily at him and Fred.

"She cried for hours," she said. The twins kept their eyes on the paper, but Fred's mouth felt especially dry.

"Do you think it's possible?" George asked Fred, pointing at an item on the list. Fred stared at his twin's finger, not saying anything. Luna had cried for hours? But it had just been an accident, just a silly prank. She wasn't even hurt. As if reading his mind, Ginny spoke again.

"She's already taunted enough, guys. She felt like you did it on purpose," she said, a little gentler this time. Ginny looked out the window, towards Ravenclaw tower. She shook her eyes. "She deserves an apology."

"You say that about everyone," George muttered, scratching his head.

"Yes, but particularly Luna. She's-" Ginny began in protest, but Fred cleared his throat loudly.

"You know, I don't think mum knows about…what's his name? Michael Something-or-Other yet, does she Ginny?" he asked, turning his green eyes on his sister. Her eyes narrowed.

"Don't even bring Michael into this. This has nothing to do with him!" she growled. Fred reached out and pinched her cheek, a playful smile cracking across his face. She wrenched back from his hand violently.

"Just looking out for my widdle, baby sister," he replied in a singsong voice. Then, he picked up the list and stuffed it into his pocket. George looked up, about to protest. "Let's go somewhere where we won't have a righteous know-it-all breathing down our necks," he said quickly to his twin. Ginny aimed a flick at her brother, but he dodged it nimbly. Together, he and George strolled across the circular common room and were pulling open the doors to the boys' dormitory. Behind him, Fred could hear Ginny cry out in frustration.

It was quiet on the stairwell. The twins ascended the spiral staircase, not saying much. Fred knew George was contemplating their growing business, and he knew he should be as well. But he couldn't get his mind off of the strange blonde girl that had sat with him on the train. He didn't know why, but from the moment she'd spoken to him, he had been intrigued by her. Sure, she was weird, but there was something about her that made him think that she wasn't all that she seemed to be. He felt like she was much deeper than what she displayed to the world.

He admitted it was a little weird. After all, she was nicknamed "Loony" Lovegood for good reason. But he didn't think she was mad-or _very_ mad, at least. Her innocence interested him. He wanted to know more about her. But she was Luna Lovegood, and he was Fred Weasley. Half of the Weasley twins. Too popular and good-looking for his own good, and he knew it, being chummy with Luna would be a form of social suicide. He sighed as he opened the door to his dormitory.

"It was just an accident, Fred," George said casually, flopping down on his four-poster. He kicked off his shoes and loosened his tie. Fred threw the paper on his bedside table and pulled his robes off. He dove onto his own four-poster, which was right next to George's, and fell face-first into his pillow. He lay on his stomach for a few moments before saying anything.

"She's just so…childlike, you know? I feel terrible about it," he muttered into his pillow. He couldn't meet his twin's eyes. George thought before he spoke.

"I see what you mean. Yeah, I felt pretty bad too. She's kinda…special to you for some reason, isn't she?" George asked cautiously. Fred clenched his fists. He knew this had been coming. Despite being able to tell George anything, Fred still hesitated before responding.

"In a way," he said simply. In reality, he had a bubble in his chest, suppressing his heart. It was filled with guilt, intrigue, and confusion. _Why_ did he keep thinking about her?

"You know, the same thing happened to Macy Sullivan two years ago, remember?" George said, switching the topic. He chuckled a bit, folding his hands behind his head. "She was mortified. But she got over it pretty quick."

Fred didn't reply. He felt himself smiling, though, at the memory. Macy Sullivan had been a particularly nasty girl two years older than him and George who had crossed paths with Peeves the Poltergeist, only to end up with a dung bomb squarely on her head. He laughed a little. Soon, he and George were reminiscing about their past pranks, how they had tried to send Harry a toilet seat when he was unconscious in the hospital wing after saving the Sorcerer's Stone, how they had flooded Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to save her time, how they had swapped Lockhart's wand with a rubber chicken their fourth year…

It had felt like years since Fred had laughed so hard. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling of his four-poster, arms behind his head, breathing hard, a smiled stretched across his face. In the bed next to his, George sat up. He stretched, yawning widely. The door to the dormitory opened and Lee Jordan, followed by two other boys filed in, looking tired. They all changed noisily and climbed into their beds. Within ten minutes, their curtains were drawn around their beds, and they were all asleep. Fred lay quietly. He rolled over and glanced out the window. All he could see were the stars, covered by a thin layer of clouds.

He thought about her eyes, filled with tears. He shook his head, and looked away from the window. His twin caught his eye. They stared at each other a moment before George shrugged. He gave Fred a little wave and pulled his curtains closed. Fred looked back out the window. Then, he too drew his curtains closed around his bed.

_Macy Sullivan. Luna Lovegood. They'll get over it_, Fred thought as he pulled his sheets up over his shoulder. Closing his eyes, he pushed Luna out of his mind.

When he woke up the next morning, not a single thought of the young blonde crossed his mind. As far as he was concerned, she had forgiven him.

**A/N: Short little interlude chapter! Got some big things planned for next chapter, so don't give up. I'm accepting this story a little more now. I've been out of writing practice for so long, that I guess I was just having trouble. Anyway, thanks for reading! **

**Love,**

**SeerySl**


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: September**

**Author: SeerySly**

September

October is the month of frost.

The red and gold autumn leaves of the trees surrounding Hogwarts castle had all begun to die. They shriveled and turned a dark, dead brown before floating gently to the ground. September had faded away, and with the first month of school done, many students were looking toward the distant Christmas holidays. As she shuffled to class, Luna Lovegood kept her head down and her eyes averted from anyone else. Normally, she wouldn't have cared about the sniggers and strange looks that always came her way, but after the calamity the dung bomb, she could barely stand it.

She didn't know what was worse, the fact that the incident hadn't been the cause of Nargles, or that it had been caused by one of the Weasley twins. Like most girls at the school-except maybe the Slytherins-she fancied them. When the topic of boys came up, Luna always agreed that the Weasley twins were a pair of the most attractive at the school, though she never said so out loud. To her, love was a distraction, caused by overzealous Wrackspurts. She had no interest in dating whatsoever, but that didn't stop her imagination.

She rounded a corner in the castle, making her way to her Defense Against the Dark Arts class, which was always with the Gryffindors. The two houses only shared two classes together this year, but they were Luna's two favorite. As she approached the classroom where the rest of the class was waiting to be let in, she stopped dead in her tracks. Some of her classmates pointed to her and whispered, and someone, a boy from Gryffindor called out, "See a Crumple-Horned Snorkack, Loony?"

The class sniggered, but Luna ignored them. She was frozen, not knowing what to do. Standing next to Ginny Weasley were two twins with flaming red hair. Luna took a step back. Ginny was muttering fiercely to the twins, who were spinning everything she said into a joke.

"You could at least apologize since you're here," Ginny said severely. George yawned, patting is open mouth as he did so.

"Again, heard all of it, Your Royal Nag-ness," he said around his yawn.

"We came to get that letter mum sent you," Fred added, twiddling casually with his wand. Ginny crossed her arms.

"Why do you need it? She sent it to me," she replied icily.

"Because it was addressed to all of it. That stupid owl just came to you," George replied. He got down on one knee, followed by his twin. "Oh please, M'lady," Fred pleaded mockingly, head bowed and hands folded on his heart.

"Please let us see the letter," George continued. "Even ickle Ronnie got to read it!"

Ginny tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for them to stand back up. Loud, thumping footfalls approached the classroom, and Mad-Eye Moody appeared. Fred and George stood up at once. Moody was the only teacher that was able to scare the Weasley twins.

"C'mon Ginny, just let me see it," Fred said once more, and with a last, furious look at them, Ginny pulled out the folded parchment and threw it into Fred's outstretched hands. He bowed low. "Thank you, oh wise one," he said and started down the hall in Luna's direction. Luna shrank against the wall, staring at the floor. She watched a beetle crawl across the stone. She glanced up, and her eyes met a pair of green ones. Fred Weasley winked nonchalantly at her as he passed. She looked back down quickly, not daring to even glance upward again until she couldn't hear their footsteps anymore. She sighed and shook her head. She straightened herself up and put her usual half smile in place on her face.

_What' s the use of being embarrassed by this?_ she thought to herself as she scurried to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. She was sure that all her embarrassment was doing was just making her Wrackspurts more active. Besides, it had probably just been an accident anyway.

Luna skipped to the door, her head held high. The last person was shuffling to her seat, and Luna followed quickly. She sat down with her fellow Ravenclaws, and saw Ginny looking at her searchingly from her seat a few desks away. Luna returned the look with a slight smile. Ginny, still looking concerned, nodded and looked to the front of the classroom.

But Luna's heart still felt heavy.

Sunlight streamed through the windows in the Charms classroom. When the Weasley twins had entered, holding their robes over their noses like the rest of the class, Professor Flitwick gave them a great scowl, his lips drawn thin. But he hadn't said anything. The twins were now sitting at the back of the classroom, George's head in his hands, and Fred's feet on the desk.

"Mr. Weasley," Flitwick called from the front of the room. Both twins looked up. Fred raised an eyebrow. "Er…Fred, then," Flitwick said. Fred sighed and removed his feet from the desk. "Now, Fred. Would you like to demonstrate the _Aguamenti_ charm for the class?" Flitwick asked. He obviously meant for Fred to stand up and perform the charm, but Fred waved his hand at the tiny professor.

"No thanks, Professor. Not in the mood today," he said, kicking his feet up on the desk again and leaning his head on the back of his chair. Little Professor Flitwick turned bright red and gave a little huff.

"Well, I never," he squeaked angrily. "Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Mr. Weasley."

The Gryffindors groaned, but the Slytherins on the other side of the room smiled widely. The bell rang signaling the end of class. Slowly, the twins stood. They began packing up their bags, placing everything carefully into the canvas. Flitwick approached them. "Boys, a word?" he squeaked. The twins looked at each other and turned to their Charms professor. Flitwick cleared his throat.

"I've noticed quite a difference in your performances lately," he began.

"What d'you mean, Professor?" Fred asked, flipping the top of his bag closed. Flitwick shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"You two don't seem like your usual selves," he said finally. The twins glanced at each other. "Both of you seem quite…down. As your teacher, it concerns me."

George chuckled and waved a hand at the tiny professor.

"No worries Professor, we're fine," George said. Flitwick didn't look convinced.

"Just a lot going on lately," Fred added quickly. Still, the Charms professor looked unconvinced. But, finally, he shrugged.

"Alright then. Have a good afternoon boys," he sighed. Together, the twins turned from their teacher and left the room.

"Well, it's true isn't it?" Fred said, swinging his bag carelessly over his shoulder. "With all this joke shop business, we've got a lot going on!"

George snickered. "There's a 'difference in our performance'", he snorted. "Pfft. As if classes are on the top of our priorities list at the moment."

They began to climb the great marble staircase, pulling themselves lazily up the stairs. Fred watched the paintings with little interest. There was a knight running through a landscape, chasing a young woman who looked as if he was the last person she wanted to be chased by. Fred gave a half smile. They reached the landing of the seventh floor corridor and began to make their way down the stone passage, heading for the common room. As they passed a set of great cathedral windows, George snickered again. Fred glanced at him, an eyebrow raised.

"What would Filch do if we set loose a bunch of pixies outside his office?" he muttered. Fred smiled at the image of Filch running about, flailing his arms as he tried to recapture the pixies. Smiling, he shook his head.

"Too bad we don't have any pixies," Fred replied. They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Wattlebird," he added and the portrait swung open. They climbed through the portrait hole and found themselves inside the common room. The room was filled with Gryffindors milling about, all waiting for dinner. The twins shuffled in and threw their bags in a corner. Then, they pushed through the crowd and found a place at a small, empty table. A candle flickered lazily on top of it. As they flopped down into the chairs, George pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. Glancing around to make sure no one-namely Ginny-was around, he unfolded the paper. Fred leaned in as well. He stared down at their list.

"I had a thought," he muttered, running his fingers down the list. "What if we changed _this_," he pointed at an item, "and added some explosive power to it?"

George thought a moment, then shook his head.

"It'll never be allowed in the school," he whispered back. "And we're going to be selling to students."

They bent their heads closer, talking in an undertone. No one, not even Lee Jordan approached them.

The Great Hall was packed with students, all talking excitedly about the sudden appearance of Ministry workers at the school. Rumors had floated around about new protection on the school since the fiasco at the Quidditch World Cup. "It's ridiculous," Hermione Granger stated loudly over the rest of the Gryffindors. "They would have sent _Aurors_ if there was extra protection on the school!"

Two tables over, Luna watched the Gryffindors blankly, not focusing on any one in particular. Suddenly, the great double doors opened and two flaming-haired twins entered the hall. They looked tired but in a good mood. The crossed the hall and Luna watched as one, she thought it was Fred, leaned over Hermione's shoulder and gave a retort to her comment that made the surrounding Gryffindors laugh. Hermione scowled as George patted her on the back. Fred grabbed a roll of bread and the two sauntered to a pair of empty seats at the back of the hall. She sighed, but turned back to her dinner.

When she had finished, she stood. No one spoke to her, but that was normal. She stared down at her plate, examining her reflection in the suddenly spotless gold. She thought she saw a flicker of Wrackspurts, but it was gone. Shaking herself out of her trance, she began to walk casually over to the Gryffindor table, looking for long, red hair. She pulled a roll of parchment out of her robe as she spotted Ginny, just several seats from the twins, and tried her hardest not to look in their direction. One glance told her they were telling a story of some kind to their fellow Gryffindors. Luna walked straight up to Ginny.

"Here's the Defense Against the Dark Arts homework you let me borrow. I didn't copy it. That would have attracted the Nargles," she said in her usual airy manner, fingering her butter beer cap necklace blankly. Ginny smiled and took the roll from Luna.

"Thanks Luna. And, uh, glad you didn't copy it," she said. Gryffindors around her snickered or tried to avoid Luna's silvery-blue gaze.

"I suppose I'll go to bed then. Good night Ginny," she said. She turned as Ginny replied, "See you later, Luna", and began the trek out of the Great Hall. As she passed them, she gazed quickly at the Weasley twins and caught sight of their conversation. Fred was doing most of the storytelling.

"…and then the dung bomb landed right on Loony Lovegood's head!" he said enthusiastically. Luna's stomach dropped. She had been hoping that the whole thing had passed. After all, the Ravenclaws had all stopped talking about it weeks ago. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes as she watched both the twins and surrounding Gryffindors burst into earsplitting laughter. She couldn't move. She felt her face flushing, but she couldn't break her gaze with Fred Weasley. She felt a tear break away from her eye. It tickled as it rolled down her cheek.

Fred glanced up at her, and immediately his smile faded. This jarred her back into reality. Luna wiped her tears frantically with the back of her sleeve (they attracted Nargles, too) and turned from the table. She made her way out of the hall as fast as she could without running. As soon as the double doors closed behind her, her feet broke into a sprint. She wanted to put as much distance between her and the Great Hall as possible.

She couldn't believe it. The incident had been over two weeks ago, and she had finally gotten over it. But the twins weren't, apparently. Not only were they laughing at her complete embarrassment, but they had called her Loony. She hated that name, and she didn't hate freely.

She heard footsteps behind her but didn't dare turn around. Instead, she ran faster, keeping her head down. Her heart was pounding quickly and she was finding it difficult to breathe. The footsteps were getting nearer. She skidded around the corner, trying to lose her follower, but it didn't work. A large, rough hand closed around her small, smooth one, pulling her to a sudden halt. She tried to pull from their grip but couldn't.

"Luna." She knew the voice. Biting her lip in shame, she turned to look at him. Flaming red hair and freckles. Fred Weasley's eyes were wide with horror and he was panting. "Luna, look I-" he began, but Luna had jerked her hand from his. He reached for it again, but she pulled back. They stared at each other for a long time. Suddenly, Fred collapsed on the ground, his back to the wall, eyes gazing out the windows. Luna stayed frozen, not daring to move in case he decided to chase her again.

Fred laughed. It was more of a painful cry than a laugh, she decided, but she understood his intent. He turned his green eyes to her. His expression was sad. "Luna," he said again. He stood, wiping his hands on his robes nervously. Then, without another word, he turned from her. Luna felt hot stings of tears in her eyes again, and she too turned her back on him. She began to walk slowly down the corridor. From behind her, barely audible, she heard a whisper.

"I'm so sorry."

**A/N: Phew, done! So I feel like I may have rushed the ending to this chapter a bit, but overall I'm happy with it. I hope you all enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the reviews! Oh and thanks to AKToad for reminding me that November doesn't actually come after September. Whoops! Still confused as to how I made that mistake….oh well XD.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: **September

**Author:** SeerySly

September

October is the month of frost.

As the chill autumn air crept over the Hogwarts grounds, blanketing everything it touched with its icy breath, a new buzz filled the castle. Excitement seemed to coat everything, from simple conversation to actions. The students of Hogwarts were filled to the brim with enthusiasm.

Luna could feel it. It pressed at her ribs and made her chest feel tight. It gave her butterflies in her stomach. It gave her something to be truly happy about.

She tapped her quill to her chin gently, letting the light feather tickle her skin, as she stared out the classroom window into the orange-yellow trees of the Forbidden Forest. _I hope this doesn't scare away my Wrackspurts. Annoying as they are, I quite enjoy them_, she thought to herself. She could feel them swarming around her ear and she brushed them away.

She turned her eyes to the front of the classroom. Professor McGonagall, who was a cat at the moment, was sitting on her desk, her sharp eyes scanning the room for anyone who dared to cheat on one of her tests. Luna looked down at her own test. She had written her name, the date, and the class, and answered the first ten questions. She still had another ninety to go. She glanced back outside. Hagrid's fourth-year Care of Magical Creatures class was returning from the edge of the forest. She saw the bold crimson lining of the Gryffindor's robes, accompanied by the sleek green of Slytherin. _Harry is down there_, she thought dreamily, and entertained herself with an image of him, Ron, and Hermione catching a Crumple-Horned Snorkack with a butterfly net.

Overhead, the bell rang. Several groans emanated from around the classroom as students weren't able to finish their test. Luna looked down at her own, nearly blank paper and smiled to herself. She knew she wouldn't have been able to concentrate anyway, not with so much happening so soon. She stood slowly and stretched her arms over her head, letting the air escape from her lungs. She relaxed, and took a slow breath. Professor McGonagall bounded off the table, transforming gracefully back into her human shape.

"Leave your parchment on your desks. You are dismissed," she said sharply. Luna picked up her heavy bag and was the first to leave the stuffy classroom. She bounded onto the Grand Staircase, and nearly skipped all the way to the west tower, up the spiral staircase, and right to the heavy oak door with the brass eagle knocker. She reached up and knocked twice. The eagle came slowly to life, and in a slow voice said, "The more you have of it, the less you see."

Luna thought a moment. Her brain cycled through tangible objects with no avail. She glanced out of one of the long windows that overlooked the grounds. The sun was slowly setting over the horizon. It would be dark soon. Her heart gave a leap of excitement. That meant that tomorrow would be arrive soon as well!

The knocker spoke again. "Have you an answer?" it asked in its solemn voice. Luna tapped her chin. Suddenly, it dawned on her.

"It's quite morbid really," she said quietly, more to herself than the knocker. "The more you have of it, the less you see. It's darkness."

Without another word, the knocker froze in place again and the door swung open. Luna stepped through the doorway and into her common room. No one was there yet, to her relief. She darted up the stairs to her dormitory and flung her bag onto her bed. Without even changing out of her school robes, she ran back down into the common room and out down the stairs. Her fellow Ravenclaws were just getting to the top. Most ignored her, but some stared at her with startled expressions on their faces. She pushed passed them quickly and skipped down the stairs.

Upon reaching the Great Hall, she was surprised at the lack of mouth-watering smells that usually wafted from the hall at this time in the evening. She slid between the huge double doors and shuffled into the huge room, taking her place at the long Ravenclaw table.

It didn't take long before her fellow Hogwarts students were filing into the Great Hall. Chatter soon bubbled up. All around her, Luna could hear people asking the same question: "Where's the food?" The hall filled to bursting capacity. Finally, Professor Dumbledore stood. Immediately, the hum of talk died.

"As you know, Hogwarts is playing host to the Triwizard Tournament this year," Dumbledore began. Whispers broke out throughout the hall. Luna glanced at the Gryffindor table. A pair of green eyes stared back at her. She jumped, and looked quickly back up at the headmaster. He ignored the whispering. "So please give a warm, Hogwarts welcome to our friends from France, the Beuxbaton Academy of Magic!"

The doors of the hall burst open and boys and girls in thin, blue silk uniforms squeezed through the doors, followed by a huge, seven foot tall woman. Enthusiastic applause greeted them. Luna clapped along with the rest, but found her eyes glued to, not the new arrivals, but at the Weasley twins a table over. She wondered if she had imagined his apology.

The Beuxbatons students had fallen in with the rest of the school. Luna was glad to see they were sitting at her table. Dumbledore held up his hands and silence fell once again. "And now, please welcome our friends from the North, Durmstrang!"

Once again, the hall doors swung open and burly students clad in furs entered the room. The applause was deafening, but mixed in with gasps and shouts. Luna scanned the students, and her heart gave a small leap to see Viktor Krum amongst them. Again, she glanced to the Gryffindor table. The twins were standing up, pointing excitedly at Krum. She wondered if he had meant it.

The Durmstrang students took their seats at the Slytherin table and almost immediately, food appeared on the golden plates. Hungrily, Luna scooped everything she could reach onto her own plate. Across the hall, a pair of green eyes followed her every dainty move. He wondered if she forgave him.

"Stupid, don't you think? We'll be seventeen this April!" George sputtered angrily as he stormed out of the hall. Fred kept close on his heels, just as livid.

"That should count! They're missing out on the best damn champions this school has ever seen!" he roared. Around them, Hogwarts students shuffled out of their way. They stomped up the stairs to the seventh floor. The Fat Lady was drinking a glass of wine.

"Wattlebird," George spat at her.

"Well, how rude," she replied, but she swung open on her hinges anyway. George beckoned for Fred to go first, but the other twin shook his head.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," he replied shortly. George shrugged and climbed through the portrait hole. Alone in the corridor, Fred took a deep breath. What did he care, really? It wasn't s if he would have been chosen anyway. He shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. His fingers ran straight into his latest batch of candies. He stopped, and a crooked smile stretched across his face. Without a second thought, he was off down the seventh floor corridor. Some stragglers were making their way up the staircase, Gryffindors. And they were younger students, by the looks of it. He stopped, and leaned against the banister. The small group slowed as they approached him. Fred sighed loudly.

"Something wrong, uh…?" one of the Gryffindors asked, struggling for a name. Fred glanced at him.

"Fred. I'm just a little…uh…bummed is all," he replied, and shifted his gaze to a painting on the other side of stairway. The subjects were engaged in violent argument.

"Why's that?" the boy said. He sounded a little skeptical.

"No reason. It's just, I made a new batch of Puking Pastels and no one will buy them." Fred dug around in his pocket and pulled out a handful of the colorful candies. He held them out to the clump. Smiles broke out on their faces.

"Will they get us out of class?" the boy asked excitedly. Fred nodded.

"Sure. Get you out of class, make your enemies sick, you may even be able to get a teacher if you're careful. Take them. They're free."

The students gaped at him, but didn't hesitate to grab up the candies with little hesitation.

"Cool, thanks Fred!" the boy in front exclaimed. Excitedly, they hurried up the stairs and onto the seventh floor corridor. Fred sighed. He didn't know why, but he felt like that had been a terrible idea. He shook his head and slowly followed them.

**A/N: I'M ALIVE! Kinda. Between school work and illness, I feel like I've been dead XD. Anyway, here's the fifth chapter of September. Sorry for the wait. And sorry that it's so short. It's an interlude chapter, so we have some exciting things coming up! Thanks for reading**


End file.
